The Democratic Party seems determined to weaken President-elect Donald Trump’s presidency by aiming to reclaim the House in 2026. To counter Trump’s America First agenda, Democrats are focusing on bolstering their economic messaging. House Majority Forward, a prominent Democratic PAC, is set to roll out a $10 million “economic accountability” campaign aimed at pinning responsibility for President Joe Biden’s soaring inflation on Republicans, Axios reported Monday.
This strategy marks a significant shift in approach for the party. In the past two election cycles, Democrats focused their campaigns on issues like “democracy” and abortion. However, after Republicans gained control of the House, Senate, and White House, Democrats seem to be shifting their strategy to address inflation—an issue the party not only overlooked in 2024 but exacerbated through expensive policies, the report said, adding details about the strategy change:
- The campaign will include TV and digital ads to “hold Republicans accountable for refusing to lower costs,” according to a press release first shared with Axios.
- It will also involve research and polling to “develop a deeper understanding of how Republican policies are hurting American wallets.”
- HMF president Mike Smith said: “Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans have only just been sworn in, but they’re already breaking their promises by failing to lower costs. It’s time to stop playing games, and start working for the American people.”
The fact that they have “just been sworn in” is something Republicans will likely use to counter the Democrat narrative, noting that it took years for Democrat policies under Biden-Harris to essentially institutionalize inflation pricing, and it will take some time to return the economy to some semblance of where it was when Trump left office in 2021 with low unemployment, low inflation, and lower food and housing prices. Also, Republicans are sure to point out Democrat opposition to every piece of legislation they offer to prove that the Biden-Harris party isn’t really serious about lowering costs for Americans, given that Republicans were elected to do so and will face endless opposition from the Donkey Party.
Nevertheless, the investment indicates that Democrats may be reaching a consensus on the reasons behind their losses in 2024. Some theories point to inflation as a significant factor, while others suggest that black and Hispanic voters supported Trump due to perceived misogynistic attitudes. Research from the progressive group Navigator Research suggests that Democrats lost the presidential election because their leaders were overly focused on diversity and elitism. Participants described the Democratic Party as promoting ideas that are “often very different from what the average Democratic voter is,” and elitist snobs who are “obsessed with appealing to these very far-left social progressivism.”